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AMERICAN SAMOA:
Free press - an economic and political issue
_______________________________________________________________
Title -- 3375 MEDIA: Free press in American Samoa?
Date -- 30 August 2001
Byline -- None
Origin -- Pacific Media
Watch
Source -- panichi.james@abc.net.au, 25/8/1
Copyright -- ABC Pacific Beat
Status -- Unabridged
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FREE PRESS IN AMERICAN SAMOA?
On air: Pacific Beat, Radio Australia, Monday August 25.
In American Samoa, Governor Tauese Sunia's recent decision to stop a Samoa-based newspaper from establishing a local edition has raised concerns over freedom of speech in the American territory.
The Apia-based Samoa Observer had applied to local incorporation in American Samoa in a bid to enter the local market, which is currently shared by the Samoa News and the Samoa Post.
Governor Tauese rejected the Observer's incorporation request on the grounds that the American Samoan market isn't big enough for another paper.
But while management of the Observer has declined to comment, the paper's bid has received support from its potential American Samoan rival, the Samoa News.
James Panichi spoke to the Samoa News publisher and editor, Lewis Wolman.
WOLMAN - I feel that the Governor, acting on his own, without conducting any research or providing any findings of fact or better rationale is not... I don't feel comfortable in allowing him to determine the appropriate level of commercial competition of the island.
PANICHI - Although, from a purely commercial point of view, as publisher of your newspaper you should be happy with the Governor's decision because it places a cap on your competition.
WOLMAN - Yeah, I'm both the publisher and the editor of the Samoa News, so as editor I don't feel at all comfortable. As publisher - your next question is the pragmatic one - I would acknowledge that more competition can be difficult for the company but... I mean you are speaking to me as editor and publisher. If I was only the editor of the Samoa News I wouldn't even be able to address that second point that your making. But because I wear both hats, I can respond to that. And sure, it might make it a little more difficult for us to operate commercially here but, speaking for our company, we are a very strong newspaper and we feel confident that we could weather any competitive challenge from the Observer.
PANICHI - Is this therefore an issue of free speech?
WOLMAN - Well, again, this is a little tricky too. I fear the issue of free speech. On the other hand, American Samoa - while it is a United States territory - in some ways it is a sovereign nation and we control our own immigration and we control our own business licencing laws. And absolutely, we do have an acknowledged problem of influx of outside, non-Samoa business interests which are increasingly dominating our private economy. So I think it is very appropriate and called for for the government to take some measures to restrict the extension of privileges to outsiders to come and operate in our private sector, because in many cases they're able to out-compete local Samoan business people, who don't have as much background or access to capital.
PANICHI - As you know, the Observer does have a reputation back in Samoa for being quite outspoken. Would it be unfair to think that fact may have played against it in its application to enter the American Samoan market?
WOLMAN - You know, I couldn't say. Certainly, people in American Samoa are aware of the reputation of the Samoa Observer, and I would go further than your comment to say that the Observer was often and frequently in an adversarial relationship with former Prime Minister Tofilau Eti Alesana. And as everybody in both Samoas realises, Tofilau - who is now deceased - is the uncle, or was the uncle, of our governor, Taunese Sunia, the man who denied the Observer's application. So, cynical observers here in American Samoa wonder if it's not just the general issue of having an aggressive, outspoken newspaper [operating in Samoa] but specifically because the Observer has always been held in low regard by Tofilau's family, of which Tauese is definitely a member as Tofelau's nephew, who had a close relationship with the former Prime Minister.
BA:
Lewis Wolman, editor and publisher of the Samoa News, one of the two newspapers based in American Samoa.
He was speaking to James Panichi.
+++niuswire
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